Will the Oscars answer “Conclave’s” prayers?

Edward Berger’s mystery thriller has been one of the buzziest films to emerge from the fall festivals. Adapted from Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, the film premiered at Telluride, where it received raves from attendees. Since then, its awards prospects have grown, especially following its Audience Award wins at the Mill Valley and Middleburg fests. Those regional accolades helped propel future best picture nominees such as “American Fiction” (2023) and “Belfast” (2021) and best picture winner “Green Book” (2018). “Conclave” has popular appeal, but will its religious themes be an advantage or a potential hurdle in the Oscar race?

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit.

Rossellini with “Conclave” director Edward Berger

Films that explore issues of faith, and the Catholic Church’s tangled history, have long held a unique place in Hollywood. Critics, and sometimes audiences,...

A new film set for production in Italy next month will recount the remarkable true story that launched Maserati, one of the world’s most renowned luxury car brands. With Jessica Alba and veteran actors Anthony Hopkins, Michele Morrone, and Andy Garcia starring, “Maserati: The Brothers” aims to bring the pioneering Italian entrepreneurs behind the iconic name to life on the big screen.

Directed by Bobby Moresco, known for his work on “Crash,” the film will focus on brothers Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati, who founded the company in 1914 in a small garage workshop in Bologna. There they pursued their shared passion and ambition to innovate in the growing automotive industry. While their early efforts met with success racing prototypes, the story also grappled with personal tragedy that has become part of Maserati’s legacy.

Alfieri Maserati’s fatal crash during the 1927 Messina Cup race at age 44 will feature prominently in the film.

Exclusive: Golden Globe nominee Jessica Alba (Sin City) is the latest name to join sports car biopic Maserati: The Brothers.

She joins Anthony Hopkins, Michele Morrone and Andy Garcia in the film about the brothers behind the iconic Italian car. Alba will play the “pivotal” character of Sandra. Garcia will play Mr. Rossini. Morrone will star as brother Alfieri Maserati. Hopkins will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the family.

The film will be produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company and directed by Oscar winner Bobby Moresco (Crash). Filming is due to get underway at the end of next month in Italy.

Maserati was founded in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto. From its early days, the company – which is now known for luxury cars — was connected to the world of car racing.

Halloween is nearly here, and what better way to celebrate the holiday than with a vampire movie? While the various streaming services are a little light on this particular monster – classics like “Twilight” and “Blade” aren’t currently streaming anywhere – there are still some great vampire films available at your fingertips right now.

These vampire films range from terrifying to sorrowful to funny. There’s a little something for everyone, so take your pick and dive in.

Check out our list of the best vampire movies streaming below.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (Columbia Pictures)

Streaming on Paramount+

Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of “Dracula” is a gorgeous, haunting film. Gary Oldman stars as the titular vampire, Winona Ryder is Mina and the supporting cast includes Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins. The “Godfather” director employed filmmaking techniques from the silent era to achieve the film’s special effects, resulting...

Exclusive: Guy Burnet (Oppenheimer), John Ross Bowie (Speechless), Adrian Rawlins (Mary & George) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Vikings: Valhalla) will round out the cast of Reykjavik, writer-director Michael Russell Gunn’s historical drama for Anyone But You producer Sk Global. Additionally, 2521 Entertainment has been set to produce and finance the film in partnership with Sk Global.

Others in the cast, as previously announced, include Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, J.K. Simmons, Hope Davis, Branka Katic and Aya Cash.

Entering production in Iceland in early October, with extensive filming at Höfði House, the actual site of the 1986 Reykjavik summit, Reykjavik explains why the event marked one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of modern times. The film takes place at the most dangerous point of the Cold War, watching as political enemies Ronald Reagan (Daniels) and Mikhail Gorbachev (Harris) meet in Iceland over one long, tense weekend to decide if there will...

Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp have joined the cast of the action thriller ‘Day Drinker’ at Lionsgate.

The film follows a cruise ship bartender who meets a mysterious day drinker — only for both of them to find themselves entangled in a criminal underbelly, and connected in unexpected ways.

Also in news – Uma Thurman, Anthony Hopkins & Phoebe Dynevor set for Richard Eyre’s ‘The Housekeeper’

Marc Webb is taking the helm on the project which will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, who backed the “John Wick” franchise for Lionsgate. Additional producers include Adam Kolbrenner. Zach Dean penned the original spec screenplay. The film is executive produced by 30West.

The movie reunites the two actors, who have shared the screen in ‘Blow,’ ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ and ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’

The post Penelope Cruz & Johnny Depp set for action thriller ‘Day Drinker’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Uma Thurman, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Phoebe Dynevor are starring in a big new project!

Notes on a Scandal director Richard Eyre will helm The Housekeeper, a romance that fictionalizes the inspiration behind Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, via Variety.

Keep reading to find out more…

The script is being written by bestselling author Rose Tremain, based on her own short story and forthcoming novel.

Here’s a plot summary: The Housekeeper is set in the mystic, brooding and wild landscape of Cornwall, the rugged Atlantic foot of England, where Danni (Thurman), housekeeper at Manderville Hall — a grand and historic house owned by the wealthy and widowed Lord DeWithers (Hopkins) — falls prey to the glance of a young and beautiful visitor, the novelist Daphne Du Maurier (Dynevor). For one, their affair is an all-consuming love, for the other an intoxicating realization of her secret longings.”

“Rose Tremain’s story grapples with love,...

Uma Thurman, Anthony Hopkins and Phoebe Dynevor have been cast in Richard Eyre’s upcoming ‘The Housekeeper’.

Said to be an “evocative romance fictionalizing the inspiration behind Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” the film is set in the mystic, brooding and wild landscape of Cornwall. The rugged Atlantic foot of England, where Danni (Thurman), the housekeeper at Manderville Hall — a grand and historic house owned by the wealthy and widowed Lord DeWithers (Hopkins) — falls prey to the glance of a young and beautiful visitor, the novelist Daphne Du Maurier (Dynevor). For one, their affair is an all-consuming love, for the other an intoxicating realization of her secret longings.

Also in news – Chris Hemsworth eyed for Disney’s ‘Prince Charming’ feature

Eyre will take the helm on a script penned by the bestselling author Rose Tremain, based on her own short story and forthcoming novel. The film is being produced by Julia Taylor-Stanley and Kevin Loader.

Uma Thurman, Phoebe Dynevor, and Anthony Hopkins have been tapped to lead the cast of the period drama film “The Housekeeper.” Directed by Richard Eyre, the movie tells a story of forbidden love set in 1930s England. It is based on a short story by novelist Rose Tremain and will explore relationships and creativity during that time period.

The film follows a Polish housekeeper, to be played by Uma Thurman, and famous author Daphne du Maurier, portrayed by Phoebe Dynevor. Anthony Hopkins takes on the role of a wealthy widower named Lord DeWithers. Du Maurier’s own life experiences reportedly inspired Tremain’s short story and the movie’s story. Producer Julia Taylor-Stanley said the project offers “a captivating story of forbidden love and the power dynamics at play in 1930s high society.”

Eyre is an acclaimed director known for movies like “Notes on a Scandal” and “Iris.” Tremain, whose...

Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction), Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) and two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins (The Father) have been set to star in period drama The Housekeeper.

Set in 1930s Cornwall, UK, the film will chart the forbidden romance between a Polish housekeeper and a famous novelist.

Notes On A Scandal and Iris filmmaker Richard Eyre is directing with Julia Taylor-Stanley (Coriolanus) and Kevin Loader (The Death Of Stalin) producing from a script by British novelist Rose Tremain.

The story is inspired by Tremain’s short story in which a young woman is horrified to discover, after a brief sexual encounter with Daphne du Maurier, that she is the model for Mrs Danvers in the writer’s classic work Rebecca.

Dynevor will play Du Maurier, Thurman the housekeeper and Hopkins the wealthy and widowed Lord DeWithers.

Embankment Films is launching sales ahead of the upcoming American Film Market in Las Vegas. Filming...

Exclusive: Oscar nominee Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III) has joined Anthony Hopkins and Michele Morrone in the cast of sports biopic Maserati: The Brothers.

In the film about the brothers behind the iconic Italian car, Garcia will play Mr. Rossini, described as “a central figure in the story of the brothers”. Morrone will star as brother Alfieri Il Maserati. Hopkins will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the family.

The film will be produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company and directed by Oscar winner Bobby Moresco (Crash). Filming is due to get underway at the end of next month in Italy.

Maserati was founded in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto. From its early days, the company – which is now known for luxury cars — was connected to the world of car racing.

Did Brad Pitt almost leave the leading role in Legends of the Fall? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Picture this: It’s 1994, and Brad Pitt, the golden boy of Hollywood, almost walked away from his leading role in Legends of the Fall. Can you believe it? Director Ed Zwick revealed that tensions ran high on set, with Pitt needing to be talked “off the ledge” of quitting. Talk about a dramatic behind-the-scenes moment!

Originally, the role of Tristan was meant for Tom Cruise, but he dropped out due to personal qualms about the character’s motivations. Enter Pitt, who took over, but not without his own share of doubts. After a tense table read just days before filming, Pitt’s agent called the studio to say he wanted to quit. Yikes!

Zwick noted that he saw Pitt’s discomfort during the table read, which included heavy hitters like Anthony Hopkins and Julia Ormond.

Spooky season is here, which means it’s time for movies featuring all manner of ghouls, creeps, and monsters. And there may be no monster more famous than Count Dracula, the blood-sucking vampire introduced in Bram Stoker’s gothic horror novel Dracula. He’s appeared onscreen countless times in various iterations – far too many to list here. But here are a few notable Dracula adaptations to sink your teeth into this Halloween.

‘Nosferatu’ Max Schreck as Count Orlok in ‘Nosferatu’ | Frederic Lewis/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Vampires have fascinated filmmakers since the early days of cinema. Director F.W. Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu is an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula. The movie was nearly lost to history when all copies were ordered destroyed after Stoker’s widow sued for copyright infringement. But a print survived, and the movie has gone on to become an influential classic. (The Witch director Robert Eggers’ remake is due out later this year.

Luca Guadagnino and Lionsgate announced that the “Call Me by Your Name” and “Queer” director is in final discussions to film a new version of Bret Eason Ellis’ dark horror novel “American Psycho,” nearly 25 years after the same company released Mary Harron’s satirical adaptation. In a key role that elevated his career, the 2000 film starred Christian Bale as yuppie investment banker-turned-serial killer Patrick Bateman.

It’s the kind of announcement destined to raise eyebrows. Guadagnino is in a career sweet spot after “Challengers” and “Queer” this year (and “After the Hunt” in post); he already has many projects in the works, including “Separate Rooms” with Josh O’Connor and a Thomas Mann adaptation in early development. So why is he choosing a remake — and for a film that doesn’t seem that long ago?

New versions of older films are not unusual. Even the word “remake” is tricky here — does that apply with adaptations?...

Venice Prize Winner ‘Familiar Touch’, ‘ ‘Black Dog & ‘Eephus’ Set For Red Sea Fest

In the first film program announcement for its upcoming edition, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled the 12 titles in its Festival Favourites line-up. The sidebar celebrates films that have enjoyed a high-profile outing on the festival circuit in recent months such as Sarah Friedland’s Familiar Touch, which won the Luigi de Laurentiis prize for best first film at Venice, and Cannes Un Certain Regard winner Black Dog by Guan Hu. The other titles comprise Agora (Tunisia), East Of Noon (Egypt), Eephus (U.S.), Freedom Way (Nigeria), The Inevitable Journey To Find A Wedding Dress (Egypt), The Legend Of The Vagabond Queen Of Lagos, Little Jaffna (France), Quiet Life (Greece), Santosh (UK) and U Are The Universe (Ukraine). “This year’s selection continues to demonstrate our commitment to showcasing diverse...

Back in 2020, director Leigh Whannell brought the world a well-received modern update of the classic Universal property The Invisible Man. On January 17, 2025, Universal will be releasing Whannell’s take on another classic Universal property, Wolf Man. There aren’t any plans in place for Whannell to continue making new versions of the Universal Monsters – but, if he were to given his pick of which character(s) to resurrect next, he has said that he would go with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Robert Louis Stevenson created the characters of Jekyll and Hyde in his 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which depicts the gripping struggle of two opposing personalities — one essentially good, the other evil — for the soul of one man. The story has received many cinematic adaptations over the years, with one being a 26 minute short film that was released in 1913 and came from companies that...

One of the only bad things about attending a festival like TIFF is that so many great-looking movies play that it’s too easy to miss more than a few. One of the movies I tried hardest to fit into my schedule – to no avail – was The Friend, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the film is an adaptation of a book by Sigrid Nunez that focuses on a woman trying to come to terms with the death of her friend and mentor. Complicating matters is that the woman’s also been left custody of her deceased friend’s beloved Great Dane, an unwieldy pet for her tiny New York apartment.

While it earned very solid reviews at TIFF, it wasn’t one of the films that got snapped up right away for distribution. However, Bleecker Street has now stepped in to acquire The Friend,...

Exclusive: Filmmaker Edward Berger says that Ralph Fiennes’ sublime performance as the cardinal charged with overseeing the election of a new pope in awards-season contender Conclave has a “whisper” of the inscrutability Anthony Hopkins displayed in his portrait of a veteran butler in James Ivory’s 1993 film The Remains of the Day.

Prefacing his comments by jokingly suggesting that “Ralph will crucify me for saying this“ and “I don’t know if this is a bad comparison,” Berger thought that the way Fiennes plays the impenetrable Cardinal Lawrence “has something of, a whisper of, Anthony Hopkins” in the Merchant and Ivory movie “that has that sort of just keeping everything inside and keeping quiet and doing it just with his eyes.”

Even though Cardinal Lawrence, the Dean of Cardinals, is undergoing a crisis of doubt, he nonetheless “projects absolute competency before a word is uttered.”

That’s a peculiarly English trait,...

Ridley Scott's 2001 horror thriller "Hannibal" was a long-in-the-tooth sequel to "The Silence of the Lambs," both of them based on the works of author Thomas Harris. "Silence of the Lambs" was a boffo blockbuster when it came out in 1991, winning many Oscars and making millions. Anthony Hopkins took the world by storm with his lip-smacking performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist with a penchant for mutilating, killing, and often eating his victims. At the end of "Lambs," Hannibal escapes his high-security prison and proceeds to wreak havoc in the world.

In "Hannibal," however, we learn that Dr. Lecter left one of his victims alive. Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) was a child stalker who, years ago, fell into Lecter's psychiatric care. Lecter, being a brilliant manipulator of minds, convinced Mason to use his autoerotic asphyxiation noose while slicing off his own face and feeding it to nearby dogs.

Exclusive: Andrea Iervolino, the Italian producer of sports car biopics Ferrari, Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend and the upcoming Maserati movie, is revving up a biopic of Ettore Bugatti.

Bugatti is slated to film late next year in Italy and France for Iervolino’s new banner, The Andrea Iervolino Company.

The movie is set to tell the life story of Bugatti, the founder of the iconic automobile company, who was known for transforming the automotive world with his creative genius and relentless dedication to design and technology. The Italian-born French designer and manufacturer also designed aeroplane engines and was no stranger to tragedy: Bugatti’s son, Jean, was killed on 11 August 1939 at the age of 30 while testing a Bugatti car near the family’s factory HQ in Germany.

Iervolino is in talks with writers and directors on the project, which will feature a U.S. and international cast and be English-language.

Keanu Reeves has been an absolute favorite of many film critics and audiences. His career has been very interesting since this actor has been open to starring in almost any genre. However, he has been mostly known for his action-driven films. For example, a lot of action movie lovers recognize him for the Matrix films and John Wick series. What they don’t know is how he has struggled in his personal life as well as experimented with other genres.

Reeves was born on September 2nd, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. He was raised in Toronto, Canada. He is of Chinese-Hawaiian descent from his father’s side. His father was a geologist. Reeves had a mother that worked in the industry as a performer and later designed costumes. His parents divorced nonetheless. He ended up residing with his mother and sister. As he got older, he developed a keen interest in acting.

Horror and comedy and more similar than people realize, as they both revolve around timing and violating norms. My favorite performance in a horror movie is Jack Nicholson’s scary-funny turn in The Shining. While many fans just see Nicholson’s Jack Torrance as terrifying, I think the character has comedic overtones that helped make the movie a classic.

My favorite horror movie performance is as surreal as can be

Horror isn’t always the most critically acclaimed genre, but it has given us some superb performances. Anthony Perkins in Psycho, Marilyn Burns in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs are all electrifying. However, Nicholson stands out — even among those luminaries.

In The Shining, Nicholson overacts to the point where some of his acting choices are downright surreal. That fits well with the tone of the movie, which becomes progressively more off-kilter as it goes on.

In Jonathan Demme's 1991 thriller "The Silence of the Lambs," FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) finds several interesting and shocking clues while examining a dead body that had been fished out of Elk River in Clay County, West Virginia. Most prominently, large diamond patterns have been sliced out of the skin of the victim's back -- though to what end, Starling hasn't yet determined. More curiously, the pathologist finds a cocoon lodged in the victim's throat. It's too delicate to have fallen in accidentally, meaning someone shoved it in there deliberately. 

Later, Starling takes the cocoon to a pair of entomologists (Paul Lazar and Dan Butler), hoping to learn more about it. The entomologists carefully dissect the cocoon and find it to be the species acherontia styx, better known as the death head moth (although it should have been more accurately described as the lesser death's head hawkmoth). The insect is easily recognizable,...

Al Pacino writes in his new memoir “Sonny Boy” that a 21-page scene he filmed with Leonardo DiCaprio for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” got hacked down in the editing room to just two minutes of screen time. Not that Pacino blames Tarantino or finds him at fault. The Oscar-winning actor is grateful to the director, as “Hollywood” is one of a few late-career projects that made Pacino “way more famous now than I ever was.”

“Famous in a different way, not so much because of the work I’m doing, but through my associations with various people and my appearing in certain things, and from living in Hollywood,” Pacino writes. “I got lucky. I was in three films in a row that in different ways made a real impact, starting with ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ I didn’t get paid the big bucks for it,...

There’s a reboot of the classic Universal Monsters property The Wolf Man coming our way from Blumhouse Productions and The Invisible Man (2020) director Leigh Whannell, aiming for a January 17, 2025 theatrical release – and today, a trailer for the film has been unveiled! After making its debut at the New York Comic-Con, the Wolf Man trailer has made its way online and can be seen in the embed above.

The leads of this version of Wolf Man are Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom were in the 2011 film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Abbott is taking on the role of a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator. Garner is playing his wife. Sam Jaeger is also in the cast, along with child actress Matilda Firth, playing a character named Ginger: “Female, 10 years old, white. Blake and Charlotte’s daughter. Smart, precocious, and strong. When her family...

Al Pacino has a new memoir out, Sonny Boy, exploring his legendary acting career. We haven't picked our copy up yet, but we have been experiencing the book through the usual round of excerpts, and it's given us a question: Does Al Pacino understand how ludicrously famous he is?

This,...

Throughout the week, there has been a trickle of news about The Running Man, a Stephen King adaptation from director Edgar Wright. Yesterday, Deadline reported that Josh Brolin had been cast in the project in an unnamed villain role opposite the previously cast Glen Powell and Katy O'Brien. Then, today...

Sebastian Stan’s embodiment of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” marks the first live action feature film portrayal of the 45th U.S. president (by someone other than himself). If this biographical performance brings the Marvel alum his first Oscar nomination, he will join seven other men who caught the academy’s attention by playing real-life commanders-in-chief. Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who presently belongs to that exclusive club.

This list technically includes eight entries, with Anthony Hopkins showing up twice as Richard Nixon (“Nixon”) and John Quincy Adams (“Amistad”). Nixon, who was also played by Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon,” is one of two presidents mentioned twice here, with the second being Abraham Lincoln.

This group’s ratio of lead to supporting nominations is an even 3:1. As of now, 2013 Best Actor recipient Day-Lewis is the only person who has ever won an Oscar for playing an actual U.

Sebastian Stan’s embodiment of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” marks the first live action feature film portrayal of the 45th U.S. president (by someone other than himself). If this biographical performance brings the Marvel alum his first Oscar nomination, he will join seven other men who caught the academy’s attention by playing real-life commanders-in-chief. Scroll through our photo gallery to find out who presently belongs to that exclusive club.

This list technically includes eight entries, with Anthony Hopkins showing up twice as Richard Nixon (“Nixon”) and John Quincy Adams (“Amistad”). Nixon, who was also played by Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon,” is one of two presidents mentioned twice here, with the second being Abraham Lincoln.

This group’s ratio of lead to supporting nominations is an even 3:1. As of now, 2013 Best Actor recipient Day-Lewis is the only person who has ever won an Oscar for playing an actual U.

Exclusive: Actor Michele Morrone has signed on to star opposite Anthony Hopkins in Maserati: The Brothers, directed by Academy Award-winner Bobby Moresco.

Morrone will star as Alfieri Il Maserati in the biopic about the family behind the high-performance automobiles. Hopkins will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers.

The film will be produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company.

Iervolino’s previous company, Ilbe Group – in which he was partnered with Monika Bacardi — produced the Bobby Moresco-directed biopic Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend and was also among the producers of Micheal Mann’s Ferrari starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz.

“I am deeply committed to promoting Italian actors worldwide, and casting Michele Morrone in such a prominent role is a step toward that goal,” Iervolino said. “My mission is to one day see Italy produce its own global cinema stars,...

Double Oscar winner Jane Fonda was officially announced on Thursday as the 2025 Screen Actors Guild life achievement award recipient. The 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stream live on Netflix on Sunday, February 23.

Her career has spanned over six decades and has included two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, an Emmy Award, seven Golden Globes, the 2015 AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes. Her film career has also included “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?,” “The China Syndrome,” “9 to 5,” and “On Golden Pond.”

SEEJane Fonda movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said “Jane Fonda is a trailblazer and an extraordinary talent; a dynamic force who has shaped the landscape of entertainment, advocacy and culture with unwavering passion. We honor Jane not only for her artistic brilliance but for the profound legacy of activism and empowerment she has created.

What would the moviegoing experience be without Sir Ian McKellen? An actor with a towering, half-century-plus career, theater-trained performer McKellen has become synonymous not just with great plays and serious dramas, but with huge sci-fi and fantasy blockbusters. McKellen headlined two major franchises in the aughts, playing indelible parts in both Peter Jackson' "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (plus the less beloved prequel saga) and pre-mcu superhero standout the "X-Men" trilogy.

McKellen adds his signature gravitas to every role, and he's elevated plenty of so-so films, like "The Da Vinci Code," "The Golden Compass," and -- dare I say -- "Cats." With a career so sprawling and significant, it's difficult to say just which of McKellen's films is his best, but where human brains fail, the (sometimes super-wonky) metrics of the Rotten Tomatoes algorithm theoretically succeed. We may not be able to pick just one McKellen performance that stands above the rest,...

Oscar voters don’t often want to be terrorized, so when it happens it’s frightfully good. Take a tour through our photo gallery featuring 14 of the scariest movies to be honored at the Academy Awards.

Our gallery begins with “The Silence of the Lambs,” the 1991 film which swept through the major categories. It prevailed for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally).

To help close out the 20th Century, director and writer M. Night Shyamalan devised one of the most clever scripts in recent decades for “The Sixth Sense” in 1999. Starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment (Best Supporting Actor nominee), the film offered a major twist ending that is still being discussed today.

Our most recent entry is Jordan Peele‘s spooky “Get Out” starring Daniel Kaluuya, which won for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.

There’s a reboot of the classic Universal Monsters property The Wolf Man coming our way from Blumhouse Productions and The Invisible Man (2020) director Leigh Whannell, aiming for a January 17, 2025 theatrical release – and this week, the folks at the Motion Picture Association ratings board have revealed that they’ve given the film an R rating for bloody violent content, grisly images and some language. This isn’t the first time a reboot of The Wolf Man has been given an R rating, as the 2010 reboot that was directed by Joe Johnston and starred Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Emily Blunt was also rated R, for bloody horror violence and gore.

The leads of this version of Wolf Man are Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom were in the 2011 film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Abbott is taking on the role of a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.

This winter, you’re invited to journey back in time to experience the story of the Nativity from a fresh perspective: through the eyes of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus Christ. Directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) and written by Timothy Michael Hayes, this uplifting biblical epic follows Mary, Joseph, and their newborn son, Jesus, as they flee the relentless pursuit of King Herod, portrayed by two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins.

Producer Mary Aloe was a key force in the creation of this film and worked diligently to put together an amazing team both above and below the line. With Hannah Leader, Gillian Hormel, and Joshua Harris also serving as producers and Pastor Joel Osteen as an executive producer on the film, Mary willtake audiences on the coming of age journey of one of the most revered young women of all time.

Read on to learn more as...

Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast of the biographical drama on the founders of the iconic Italian cars, ‘Maserati: The Brothers.’

Hopkins is set to play the financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers.

Directed by Bobby Moresco, The movie will follow the three brothers Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto from the inception of the business in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna. The luxury car brand has been associated with the world of auto racing. Maserati’s first Grand Prix racing car, called “Type 26,” is the vehicle that Alfieri Maserati was driving in the 1927 Messina Cup race when he had a near-fatal crash. Alfieri died a few years later, on March 3, 1932, at the age of 44 from complications related to that accident. In 1937, the brothers, while remaining involved, sold a controlling stake in the company that is now owned by Fiat.

Also in news – Henry Cavill joins Amazon...

Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins has been cast in an important supporting role in the new film “Maserati: The Brothers.” The movie will tell the true story of the Italian brothers who founded the luxury car company Maserati in 1914. Hopkins will play the part of an early Italian investor who helped provide funding to support the Maserati brothers’ growing business.

Directed by Bobby Moresco, “Maserati: The Brothers” aims to provide insight into the company’s origins in Bologna, Italy. It will follow the brothers, Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati, from when they first started tinkering with engines in their garage to building successful race cars and luxury road vehicles. The film is expected to highlight notable historic events like the creation of their first Grand Prix car and the tragic death of Alfieri Maserati in a racing accident.

Producer Andrea Iervolino stated he is thrilled Hopkins joined the project, remarking “His...

Anthony Hopkins übernimmt in einem Biopic über die Gründer des legendären Automobilkonzerns die Rolle von deren Finanzier.

Anthony Hopkins wird demnächst für das Biopic „Maserati: The Brothers“ vor der Kamera stehen (Credit: Imago / Pa Images)

Für Andrea Iervolinos neu gegründete The Andrea Iervolino Company wird Bobby Moresco das englischsprachige Biopic „Maserati: The Brothers” inszenieren, für das jetzt Anthony Hopkins als Darsteller verpflichtet wurde. Wie das US-Branchenblatt „Variety” berichtet, wird der zweifache Oscargewinner die Rolle des italienischen Finanziers der Maserati-Brüder übernehmen. Weitere Castmitglieder für das Biopic, dessen Produktion demnächst in Bologna beginnen soll, sind nicht bekannt.

Über die Verpflichtung von Anthony Hopkins sagt Produzent Andrea Iervolino: „Anthony Hopkins an Bord zu haben, ist ein wahr gewordener Traum“. Seine unvergleichliche Fähigkeit, komplexe Charaktere zu verkörpern, wird unsere Geschichte zweifellos aufwerten, und wir sind gespannt, wie er seiner Rolle Tiefe verleiht.“

Mit seiner vorherigen Firma Ilbe Group, die er zusammen mit Monika Bacardi betrieben hat,...

Anthony Hopkins is attached to star in “Maserati: The Brothers,” an English-language biopic directed by Bobby Moresco about the family behind the high-performance automobiles that, along with Ferrari and Lamborghini, Italy is known for.

The legendary Oscar-winning actor will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers. The “Maserati” movie is is produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino via his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company.

Iervolino’s previous company, Ilbe Group – in which he was partnered with Monika Bacardi — produced the Bobby Moresco-directed biopic “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” and was also among the producers of Micheal Mann’s “Ferrari” starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz.

“Having Anthony Hopkins on board is a dream come true,” Iervolino said in a statement. “His unparalleled ability to embody complex characters will undoubtedly elevate our story, and we are eager to see how he brings depth to his role.

There is a new Martha Stewart documentary is coming to Netflix called Martha. This takes fans behind the scenes and into the life of the former celerity chef. The feature talks about her career, legal problems, and even her family life in which she admits that she was not an innocent in.

Here is what Stewart said in the documentary about cheating on her husband.

Martha Stewart Admits To Cheating On Husband

A new documentary on Netflix takes the world into the life of Martha Stewart, 83, the famous long-time cook and homeware guru. It looks at several issues in her life, including her legal problems. However, she also admits in the documentary that she cheated on her ex-husband during their 29-year marriage.

YouTube/Today

While she was married to Andrew Stewart for three decades, she said that she cheated on her husband during that time. The couple was married from...

Finding a good movie to watch on Amazon Prime Video can be difficult to say the least. While Amazon’s robust library of titles is available to every Amazon Prime subscriber, they don’t exactly make it easy to find what you’re looking for. That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve assembled a growing list of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now. Our carefully curated selection runs the gamut from crowd-pleasing blockbusters to Oscar-winning dramas to delightful rom-coms and beyond. There’s a little something for everyone, so stop the endless scrolling and simply choose one of these great movies to watch.

Check out our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime video below. The list will be updated weekly with new titles.

“Challengers” Left to right: Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in “Challengers” (MGM)

“Challengers” is hypnotic. At once a tennis drama, steamy love triangle and dark comedy,...

Exclusive: Harry Delano (Freud’s Last Session), Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen), Amar Chadha-Patel (The Decameron) and Arturo Del Puerto (For All Mankind) have joined the 20th Television pilot for Hulu Downforce (working title) starring Eve Hewson and Murray Bartlett.

Downforce follows Victoria (Hewson), the estranged daughter of a storied racing team’s owner, Sir Trevor (Bartlett), who is thrust back into the family business, leaving the pair to find common ground or risk destroying the team’s legacy.

Delano will play Cayley, Alastair’s son, an engineering genius who’s put to work to help the team; Shearsmith will play Alastair, Regent Racing’s fastidious chief race engineer; Chadha-Patel will play Ihsan, the gentle giant of a chief mechanic for Team Regent; Del Puerto plays Emiliano, the ostentatious Spanish owner of a competing team who’s hellbent on destroying Regent Racing.

Alec Berg will direct the pilot and executive produce alongside Adam Countee,...

White Bird: A Wonder Story (2024) has finally arrived in theaters after a two-year wait for the adaptation of the graphic novle by R.J. Palacio. This year has seen several big book adaptations dominate the box office from Dune: Part Two to It Ends With Us.

Several other well known books have transformed for the big screen this year, including comics like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, childhood stories like Harold and the Purple Crayon and more.

Read on for a list of this year’s book to movie adaptations:

White Bird – Oct 4 – Theaters

White Bird: A Wonder Story, Gillian Anderson, 2022. © Lionsgate /Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on the book by Wonder author R. J. Palacio, White Bird: A Wonder Story (2024) has finally hit theaters after shifts over two years since the film was first advertised. The film stars Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Bryce Gheisar and more. The film follows a young...

A brutal Oscar season is ahead…in a good way.

As the Oscar race heats up, Hollywood is bracing for an intense, wide-open awards season. After its whirlwind tour through the Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals, A24’s newly acquired historical epic “The Brutalist” has emerged as a potential heavyweight in this year’s Academy Awards lineup. Starring Adrien Brody in a career-redefining role as a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and journeys to the U.S., the film screened in front of an influential audience at CAA on Sunday night. The room was filled with industry professionals, journalists, and Oscar winners like Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”). After the screening, the film’s director, Brady Corbet, and co-writer Mona Fastvold participated in a post-screening Q&a session, giving the audience insight into the seven-year odyssey to bring this project to life.

“The Brutalist” follows 30 years in...

In brightest day, in blackest night... some exciting Lanterns news has found its way to the Empire site! Having been picked up for eight episodes at HBO and nabbed itself Kyle Chandler as co-lead already, DC's hotly anticipated — and long, long awaited — Green Lantern TV show has now found a director for its first block of episodes. According to THR, British director James Hawes — whose body of work includes the entire first series of Apple TV+ spy series Slow Horses and Anthony Hopkins led WWII drama One Life — has signed on to helm Lanterns' first two instalments.

The brainchild of showrunner Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) and co-writers Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and DC Comics legend Tom King, Lanterns is set to take the comics' ring-bearing space police force and make of it a gritty, True Detective style crime drama. Chandler will appear in the show as classic Lantern Hal...

Per THR, DC Studios and HBO have tapped James Hawes to serve as the director of the first two episodes of Lanterns. Hawes is a prolific TV director, having helmed episodes of Black Mirror, Penny Dreadful, Doctor Who, The Alienist, Snowpiercer, Raised by Wolves, and Slow Horses. He also recently made his feature directorial debut with One Life, a biopic starring Anthony Hopkins as Nicholas Winton, who helped save hundreds of children during World War II.

The live-action Green Lantern series is said to have a True Detective vibe as it “follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Kyle Chandler was recently set to star as Hal Jordan. Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) and Stephan James (Homecoming) are the top choices for John Stewart, with THR stating that screen tests are happening right now.

A director for the DC Studios and HBO’s much-ballyhooed series Lanterns has been found.

James Hawes, an established TV helmer who most recently directed a string of episodes of the Gary Oldman spy series Slow Horses, has been tapped to helm the first two episodes of the sci-fi cop series.

Lanterns is said to have a gritty, True Detective vibe and follows Hal Jordan, a legend amongst the space police force known as the Green Lanterns, as he reluctantly mentors a younger Green Lantern, John Stewart. The two intergalactic cops get drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

The show is in the midst of casting the final of its two leads. Kyle Chandler is set to star as the classic and long-running Lantern Jordan. HBO and DC have narrowed down the search for Stewart to Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre...

Exclusive: In what is a big departure from R&cpmk, the firm’s Co-Presidents of Talent, Lindsay Galin and Jeff Raymond, have exited to start their own talent-driven public relations company, 2pm Sharp.

The duo, I hear, departed R&cpmk two days ago.

2pm Sharp will have offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. We’re hearing that upwards of 10 publicists from R&cpmk are following Galin and Raymond. It’s all being sorted out which clients stay behind with R&cpmk or leave to join 2pm Sharp.

New York-based Galin is known for repping such heavyweights as Michael B. Jordan, Henry Cavill and Oscar winner Brie Larson. Raymond’s forte is in the music space with such headliners as Grammy winner Britney Spears and the Jonas Brothers, as well as sports with David Beckham.

Galin came to Rogers & Cowan NYC in 2011 after launching her own talent publicity firm,...

After coming up short on his first two Best Actor Oscar bids for “Walk the Line” and “The Master,” Joaquin Phoenix took the gold in 2020 for “Joker.” The film reaped a whopping 11 Oscar nominations and cracked the billion dollar mark at the box office. The sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which hits theaters October 4, makes Phoenix the 11th Best Actor victor to reprise his winning role in a feature film.

Only one of the first 10 fellows to pull off this double feature earned another Oscar nomination: Bing Crosby (he won for “Going My Way” in 1945 and was nominated for “The Bells of St. Mary’s” in 1946).

Those who preceded Crosby in reprising their winning roles without academy recognition are Warner Baxter, who went on to appear in both “The Cisco Kid” (1931) and “Return of the Cisco Kid” (1939), and Spencer Tracy, who starred in “Men of Boys Town” (1941).

Edward Flanagan portrayer Tracy...

There’s just something inherently creepy about dolls, and filmmakers have had a lot of fun over the decades crafting horror stories around that creepiness. Audiences clearly love to see it, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many creepy / killer doll movies out there. So to celebrate this sub-genre, we decided to put together a list of some of the all-time best killer dolls. Not killer doll movies, but specific dolls. Here is our list of the Top 10 Killer Dolls!

Annabelle (The Conjuring Universe)

This is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” list entry if there ever was one. If we don’t include Annabelle – who scared people so badly in the opening scene of The Conjuring, she got her own spinoff franchise – there will be a lot of fans asking, “How could you leave Annabelle off a top 10 doll list?” If we do include her,...